Judgement
by Slytherin Rose Weasley
Summary: Hermione's boyfriend has spent the past three weeks in Azkaban after being accused of conspiring to kill Harry. Today is judgement day on whether or not he'll be sentenced for life. Please read and review.


**A/N: So this is a little plot bunny that was bouncing around in my head and gnawing on my brain for several days until I wrote it. I'm sorry I just couldn't shoot it like I usually do with bunnies. Anyway as usual I am not JK Rowling and as such I don't own anything that you recognise. Anyway I hope you like this piece. And before anyone makes a comment about the pairing Hermione is an adult in this piece so it's perfectly legal.**

Hermione woke up to faint rays of sunlight streaming through her window. The sunlight created dappled patterns over her duvets and despite its warmth Hermione couldn't help but shiver. It didn't matter what they did to the property; the rooms in Grimmauld Place would never be warm, both physically and emotionally. She looked at the pale green walls, and pushed her white covers to the floor. She crossed the room, shivering as her feet touched the cold stone floor, and padded across to the calendar that she had pinned on her wall. It was a rudimentary effort at best, no more than what a child would make for counting down the days until summer was over. Hermione didn't care though, there was something raw about her efforts, and raw was the word that best described her at the moment. She reached for a thick black marker and with a shaking hand crossed off another day.

Today's date, the 14th of October, was already circled in a bright red marker. Hermione heaved a sigh as she looked at the date, not knowing how the day would end. She had been counting down to today and the hearing, but now that the day was upon her she wished she could restart the countdown. Today would either signify the beginning of her life, or the end of it. Her friends tried to understand, but they didn't really know how it felt. Ron had told her that if everything went wrong today then she'd still have the rest of her life to look forward too, but for Hermione that didn't feel like the case at all. If everything went badly today then she was done. Harry at least had understood that Hermione didn't need everyone crowding around her, trying to boost her spirits, so he had offered her Grimmauld Place for the time being. It had meant that she would be relatively undisturbed, and as Harry had passed over the keys he had made her promise that if she needed anyone then she would give him a call.

Hermione sighed once more as she turned to her wardrobe, searching for an outfit to wear for today. She needed something that befitted her status, but something that was also conservative enough to wear in the Ministry of Magic courtrooms. For once she wouldn't be serving in her usual position on the Wizengamot, the Ministry was worried that there would be a certain conflict of interest once the accused was before them, so for today she would be sat in the stands. Her hands reached for clothes, tossing the majority of them aside because they were either too revealing or too bright for the courtrooms. Eventually she settled on something that she thought her mother would usually wear; a smart black business pencil skirt that came to her knee, a cream ruffle shirt, and a black suit jacket. She decided to team this with a pair of sensible black peep toe heels. Her long brown hair she twisted up into a neat bun, allowing a few stray tendrils to hang loose, framing her face. Looking in the mirror Hermione was proud of what she saw, nobody could doubt that she meant business today.

As Hermione walked in the direction of the Ministry, a relatively short walk of twenty minutes from Grimmauld Place, she bitterly wished that she'd had the sense to bring a coat. It might only be the start of October, but it was a bitterly cold day. The autumn breeze blew a circle of leaves around her ankles, and Hermione took a few moments to appreciate the swirl of colour. She loved autumn, mainly because there was so much more to see. The leaves were no longer a plain boring green, but a multitude of reds, yellows and browns. She shivered, clutching her suit jacket tighter around her, wishing once more that she'd brought a coat. Much as she'd love nothing more than to sit in the park with a steaming cup of coffee Hermione forced herself to move onwards towards the Ministry.

As Hermione made her way through the Atrium of the Ministry, she felt the familiar press of co-workers around her. Some moved onwards as they always did without so much as a second glance in her direction and for that familiarity Hermione was glad. She didn't like it when people changed how they acted around her if they knew that she was going to be having a tough day. Call her old fashioned but Hermione preferred to work through her problems on her own. Other co-workers though gave her sympathetic looks, and some who thought that today's case would go south even asked her whether or not she thought it a wise idea to be there.

She forced herself not to snap at them, they were after all only concerned for her wellbeing. But it was easy enough for them to make sympathetic noises and to give her a hug, they still wouldn't know how hard today was going to be for her. None of them could understand what it felt like to watch your other half, stand accused for a crime that they didn't commit. She had already watched on in horror as Severus had been dragged away by Ministry officials, told that he would await sentencing in Azkaban for plotting to kill the Boy Who Lived. Hermione's protests that Severus wouldn't ever do anything to harm a hair on Harry's head and that they must have the wrong person hadn't done anything to sway them. That had been the last time she'd seen him, being dragged away to face the Dementors all on his own. Since then she'd done everything in her power to collect enough evidence to make sure that Severus would walk free.

Hermione held her breath as she took a seat in the public stands of the courtroom, hoping against hope that he was okay. She shuddered as she felt the presence of the Dementors; she was always able to feel them before she saw them. If they were affecting her this badly just by being in the courtroom then she had no idea how on earth Severus had survived three weeks in Azkaban. Severus had been through so much more than her, yet even so her memories from the War were torturing her. She could almost see herself back in Malfoy Manor being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange; feel the sharp silver blade dragging across her skin. She took a deep breath in, trying to steady herself and by the time she looked up Severus was already in the room.

What on earth had they done to him? She noticed several new scrapes and bruises, a long thin cut running down the length of his cheek and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Not only that but his hair was greasy and hanging in two long hanks, and he'd lost several stone in weight. Severus looked the weakest she'd ever seen him, and Hermione wanted nothing more than to reach out to him and comfort him. All she wanted to do right now was tend to his wounds and take him home, take him home and make sure that he got a proper meal inside him. She had to force herself to stay in her seat as she noticed that Severus had been forced into the one chair that chained it's occupant in place. That didn't bode well; they were still treating him like a prisoner, not a man who might walk free.

Hermione struggled to bring her mind back to the current proceedings. She couldn't afford to zone out, not when Severus needed her support. She noticed how worried he looked and she couldn't help but wonder whether he still believed that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. She'd heard about the conditions in Azkaban, and even worse she'd heard rumours that once you'd been detained in there a person would say or admit to anything just to gain an easier sentence. She just hoped that Severus wouldn't do that.

"Can you please confirm that you are Severus Snape, of number forty eight Spinners End, Cokeworth?"

Severus nodded, his jaw gritted. Hermione could see straight off that he wasn't going to answer anything unless he had to.

"You have been accused of conspiring to cause bodily harm and the eventual death of Harry Potter. How do you wish to plead to this charge? Guilty or not guilty?"

Hermione held her breath as Severus rasped out his response. "Not guilty."

"And do you have anyone here to speak in your defence?" the old man asked him, his gaze flitting briefly in Hermione's direction. Hermione knew that it was more than her job was worth to speak up in Severus' defence, she did after all have experience of how the courts worked. But she'd arranged for a fellow Hogwarts alumnus, Susan Bones, to present evidence in her place.

"I do," Severus replied, indicating that Susan should enter the room. Hermione felt a rush of warmth greet her as Susan took her place on the stand. The red headed Hufflepuff girl had decided to follow her aunt's footsteps into the magical courts when it came to choosing her career and Hermione couldn't think of anyone better suited. She watched on as Susan slowly and carefully outlined Severus' whereabouts in the days and weeks leading up to the accusation and ending with the night that he had supposedly tried to assault Harry. Given that Severus had been with Hermione that night there was no feasible way he could have tried to mount an attack on Harry, and this was what Susan was currently telling the Wizengamot. Hermione could see various colleagues of hers nodding in accordance and whispering to one another. She just hoped that they would find Severus innocent.

Hermione held her breath as Susan was thanked for her time and dismissed from the court, while the members of the Wizengamot leaned in towards one another discussing what verdict they would pass. She watched as Severus struggled restlessly against his restraints and as the members of the Wizengamot leaned back into their original seats. Silence fell over the room as the Minister for Magic rose to his feet, his piercing stare focused directly on Severus.

"Those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?" he asked. A number of hands flew into the air, and Hermione forced herself to do a quick headcount. There was just over half of the Wizengamot members voting to free Severus. Hermione tried not to grin. Severus would be coming home!

"And those not in favour of clearing the accused?" the Minister asked, performing another headcount as the remaining members voted. "Cleared of all charges."

Hermione rushed down from the stands to greet Severus, throwing her arms around him and inhaling the not so familiar scent of him. Usually he smelled of various potions ingredients and spices, whereas at the moment the smell of unwashed clothes was permeating her nostrils. She didn't care though, she finally had Severus back. That was all that mattered. They could finally be together again and put this all behind them.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review, they really help me to grow and develop as a writer. Also for any of you awesome readers who have Twitter, if you want to stay up to date with what I am writing then please follow my writers account SRWfanfiction. Or if you're really bored you can follow my personal account MalfoyChristina.**


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